The musings of a wife, new mom, artist, and former elementary art teacher.

How Do You Buy Art?

A few days a ago I made a local art purchase. It wasn’t a big purchase, but I love it and it made me think about the process I go through when buying artwork.

As an artist I feel as though I am extremely picky when purchasing art for my home. Yes, I love supporting artists, but I have absolutely love someone else’s artwork if it is going to be in my home.

In this last instance, my sister and I spent a Sunday afternoon exploring shops in Oklahoma City. We were in the Plaza District and went to the Folk.Life store. With its brightly colored walls and fragrant scent in the air it was a nice escape from the dingy, smelly consignment store next door.

They had a lot of different items from around the world, but on the wall closest to the door they had a collection of adorable coconut masks. Some were just the head of an imaginary figure and some had bodies made of canvas. I don’t know why I loved them so much, but I did. We left without making a purchase, but for the next few days I could not stop thinking about the coconut masks.

That’s when I buy art-if I cannot stop thinking about it. If an artwork cannot keep itself present in my mind, it is not worth any amount of money. I refuse to hang something I do not love on my walls.

So, one day after school I bought one of the coconut masks with canvas body. It is a little strange, but I think it is a good representation of my new year’s goals. For some reason this artwork inspires me to try new things, to smile, and be confident.

The head is made out of hand of a coconut shell, the embellishments are created from various seed pods, and the body is made up of canvas. All components were then painted.

How do you buy art?

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3 thoughts on “How Do You Buy Art?”

How wonderful that piece of art brings you inspiration! I haven’t stayed in one place long enough to “collect” any art. Maybe one day! Happy New Year and I hope that piece of art bring you lots of joy! Cheers, Koko 🙂